Stage Fright
by Kurt Kieser
Summary: Several mysterious accidents have plagued the Fuka Academy Drama Club, injuring the male lead. Takumi offers to fill in for his friend while at the same time secretly investigating the matter. Can Akira protect Takumi before anything else happens?
1. A Saboteur in Our Midst

**Stage Fright**

**Act 1 - A Saboteur in Our Midst**

The atmosphere at Fuka Academy was really starting to liven up as the start of the school festival was less than two weeks away. In the school's auditorium, rehearsals were under way for the play that would be put on for the festival goers.

"Hajime-kun, let's take it from the top of that last scene again," a tall dark-haired girl instructed her young fellow thespian. "Only this time, try and be a bit more expressive. Remember, you're supposed to be extremely agitated in this scene so move about the stage some more and try flailing your arms a bit."

"Okay, I got it, Kyoko-chan."

As Hajime began his reading, the painted backdrop that was suspended from above mysteriously came loose and started to fall forward.

"Hajime, look out!"

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this, Takumi?" Akira asked as the two stood beside their desks waiting for homeroom to start. "Isn't there something else your club could do for the festival?"

"What are you talking about? I think it'll be a lot of fun," Takumi assured her. "A maid café is sure to be a big hit with the students and will give the cooking club some much needed exposure. Not only that, it's bound to bring in a lot of money for us as well. Besides, all the girls in the club were thrilled when I made the suggestion and all agreed to dress up as long as I agreed to be the host."

"Yeah, that's what worries me," Akira mumbled under her breath.

"Akira, we talked about this. I thought you were okay with me being in the club."

"I am. I don't have a problem with it, it's just that…"

"The whole maid café concept kind of makes you a little uncomfortable?"

"Well, yeah. I guess," she said with a bit of uncertainty. "All those girls dressed in those skimpy costumes and you being the only guy…"

"Sounds to me like you're jealous again."

"Idiot! I'm not jealous!" she defensively shot back, becoming all flustered.

"You know, there's a really simple solution to all of this," Takumi pointed out. "If you're so concerned then why don't you help us out? That way you'll be able to keep watch over me. Besides, you've already got the outfit so why don't you…"

"I already told you," she annoyingly reaffirmed her position. "I only bought that stupid thing to wear to your anime convention. There's no way that I'm going to let anyone at this school see me dressed in that thing."

"Okay, okay. It was just a suggestion. You don't have to get all…"

Takumi was suddenly caught off guard as he noticed his good friend Hajime enter the classroom on crutches.

"Hajime, what happened?" Takumi asked with great concern after rushing over to him, followed by Akira, to see what had happened. "Are you alright?"

"Oh hey, Takumi, Akira," his friend greeted them sounding somewhat embarrassed. "Yeah, I'll be alright, I just sprained my ankle yesterday during rehearsal. It's pretty badly swollen so I'll have to use these crutches for about the next two weeks."

"Two weeks? But the play's in only…"

"I know, I know. But there's no way I'll be able to perform in this condition."

"Gee, that's pretty rough," Akira sympathized. "What's going to happen with the play now?"

"That's just it, I don't know. Kohei-san, who's our stage manager, would be the most qualified to take over for me except he's refusing to do it."

"How come?" Takumi wondered. "Is the role that demanding?"

"Not at all, it's just that…" Hajime started to cautiously look around him to see if anyone else might be listening. Then, in a low whisper, he leaned in to the two and added, "There've been some strange goings on lately ever since we started rehearsals."

"Strange?" Takumi curiously remarked. "How strange?"

"Well, there have been several accidents on stage all involving props or set pieces. That's why Kohei-san doesn't want to do it. This whole thing has really got him spooked. He along with several other people seem to think that the entire production is cursed."

"Cursed?" Takumi said rather astonished.

"I know, it's silly," Hajime acknowledged, "but we haven't been able to figure out how any of these accidents could have happened. There's been no evidence to suggest faulty construction or even sabotage for that matter. Luckily though, no one's ever gotten hurt."

"Until now," Akira concluded, looking at his cast.

"Actually, I didn't get injured from anything hitting or falling on me, although, I narrowly escaped getting hit when the backdrop mysteriously started to fall forward. Luckily, Kyoko-chan noticed it and pushed me out of the way. Unfortunately, when she did that, that's when I twisted my ankle."

"She's the head of the drama club, right?" Akira asked.

"Yeah, and she's also playing the female lead in the play. I feel really bad for her; she put so much effort into this production. Did you know that she wrote the entire script by herself?"

"Wow, that's pretty impressive," Takumi noted. "So what's the play about?"

"It's a tale of forbidden love between a samurai and the daughter of the daimyo lord that he serves. I think it's brilliant. She's really amazing. I know she's going to be a great writer someday, but I just worry about her sometimes. She's way too critical of her own work and doesn't seem to think that it's ever good enough. And now with the play in danger of being cancelled, that only adds to her worries. I just wish there was something I could do."

Sensing that his friend obviously had feelings toward Kyoko, Takumi smiled as he then inquired, "Isn't there anybody else you could ask that might be able to take over for you?"

"Not really," he dishearteningly replied. "All the other guys in the drama club already have other roles to perform and it's just too last minute to ask somebody from outside the club to step in."

"Maybe not," Takumi optimistically retorted. "I mean, it's not much, but I did once have the lead in a play back in elementary school. So if you'd like, I'd be willing to step in for you."

"You'd do that for me?" Hajime was startled at his offer.

"Absolutely. Of course, I can't guarantee you that I'd be any good, so naturally you'd have to audition me first."

"No, no, I'm sure you'd be fine," Hajime excitedly replied. "Thank you so much, Takumi. You don't know what this means to me. Meet me in the auditorium after school and I'll be happy to help you out in any way that I can."

"Everyone, please return to your desks," the class rep announced to everyone as their teacher entered the room.

"Oh, here's a copy of the script," Hajime quickly pulled from his book bag and handed it to Takumi before hurrying back to his desk. "Look it over when you get a chance, and thanks again."

"Takumi," Akira whispered as they both returned to their desks, "what are you doing? How do you expect to perform in this play while juggling your duties in the cooking club?"

"Don't worry, Akira, I'm sure I can handle it," he reassured her. "Besides, it'll give me a chance to investigate and maybe get to the bottom of this case."

"Case?" Akira was rather astonished at his view of the situation. "Investigate? Uh, Takumi…"

"All bow!" the class rep instructed as Akira just continued to look dumbfounded over Takumi's remarks.

* * *

"Hajime-kun, are you sure about him?" Kyoko questioned, sounding somewhat uncertain as they sat in the first row of the auditorium looking up at Takumi on stage.

"What have you got to lose? Besides, he was gracious enough to offer to help us, so the least we can do is give him a chance."

"You're right," she acknowledged, then looked up at Takumi. "All right Takumi-san, why don't read your character's speech that starts on the bottom of page ten."

"Page ten? Got it."

After having him go over several passages, Kyoko was extremely impressed with his readings.

"I've gotta say, Takumi-san," Kyoko remarked as she and Hajime joined him up on stage, "you're not bad. Your voice projects well and your diction is pretty impressive."

"You see, I told you," Hajime said excitedly.

"Thank you, Kyoko-san," Takumi happily replied.

"I should be the one thanking you," Kyoko added, "otherwise we'd probably have to cancel the entire play. I take it that Hajime-kun has told you what's been going on. This whole notion that this production is cursed is simply preposterous."

"I agree," Takumi concurred, "So do you suspect anyone who might have a reason to sabotage your play?"

"Several, actually. It's my belief that…" Kyoko hesitated as she noticed her stage manager approaching.

"So what's the deal, sempai?" a young blond-haired boy came over and questioned his senior, sounding rather irritated. "Is the play on or off? I'm kind of getting tired of all this uncertainty."

"The play will go on as scheduled, Kohei-san," Kyoko informed him, then introduced, "Kohei-san, this is Takumi Tokiha. He will be taking over for Hajime-kun."

"Pleased to meet you," Takumi pleasantly remarked.

"Yeah, yeah, it's a pleasure," Kohei abruptly greeted him as he then warned, "So listen, kid, I hope you know what you're getting into. There've been a lot of unexplained happenings taking place lately, so I hope you don't frighten easily."

"Uh, no," Takumi was slow to respond, "Not really."

"Good, because you may be getting more than you bargained for."

"That's enough, Kohei-san," an annoyed Kyoko replied.

"Sorry, sempai. I just thought that he should be made aware of all these weird phenomenon. Well, seeing as how we're going on with this, guess I'll go and set the stage up for you for the first scene."

"Uh, thank you, Kohei-san," Kyoko hesitantly said as she watched him depart. Then turning to Takumi she added, "You'll have to excuse Kohei-san. He's always been a bit superstitious. Unfortunately, he's kind of scaring some of the other cast members with all his talk of the paranormal. I hope you don't take what he says too seriously."

"Not at all," Takumi understandingly replied. "I'm sure that there's a perfectly logical explanation for what's been going on. Besides, I don't scare that easily."

"Well that's good to know," Kyoko was relieved to hear, then announced, "Well, we've got a lot of material to cover so we better get started."

* * *

Takumi seemed to be making a lot of headway after only three days of rehearsal, even managing to memorize quite a bit of his character's lines. Having cleaning duty along with Akira the following day, Takumi left a bit early for rehearsal since Akira had offered to finish up for him. As he made his way out of the classroom, Takumi was suddenly grabbed from behind by a mysterious figure decked all out in black and looking like a ninja.

"Wha… what do you want from me?" Takumi nervously asked the masked figure.

"Shut up and listen carefully," the cloaked stranger instructed in a deep tone of voice while keeping a firm grip on him. "If you know what's good for you you'll drop out of the play and quit snooping around and asking questions."

Now genuinely scared, Takumi tried to justify the situation considering that Akira was the only ninja that he knew.

"Akira… please tell me that it's only you," Takumi pleaded.

Overhearing him from within the room, Akira slid open the door. "Did you call me, Taku… LET GO OF HIM!"


	2. To Protect and Observe

**Stage Fright**

**Act 2 - To Protect and Observe**

"LET GO OF HIM!" Akira shouted as the figure quickly released Takumi and bolted down the hall.

"Takumi, are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so," he said sounding a bit shaken up.

"Stay here, I'll be right back."

"Akira, wait!"

Not listening, Akira began to give chase as Takumi tried to follow, concerned for her safety. Noticing the figure turning a corner at the end of the hall, Akira continued her pursuit when she suddenly lost sight of him. Pausing momentarily, she looked out the window across to where the building rounded an inside corner and caught a glimpse of him through the glass running down the hall. Rounding the corner she observed Kyoko sprawled out on the floor, appearing as though she had been run over. Frustrated, Akira reluctantly cut her chase short so that she could help Kyoko.

"Damn, he got away!" Akira cursed herself as she then tended to Kyoko. "Kyoko-san, are you alright?"

"I… I think so," she replied rather shaken up as Akira began to help her up. "I was just coming out of the restroom when some person dressed like a ninja just ran me over."

"Akira!" Takumi called, sounding out of breath as he finally caught up with her. "Did you catch up with… Kyoko-san?"

"I'm afraid he got away," Akira despondently replied. "He ran right into Kyoko-san and knocked her to the ground and just continued running."

"So you've had an encounter with our ninja friend as well I see," Takumi remarked.

"You mean he ran into you too?" Kyoko was surprised to hear.

"Oh it was more than that; he had Takumi…" Akira stopped herself in mid-sentence when she noticed Takumi giving her a stern look along with a quick shake of the head.

"He had me thrown up against the wall," Takumi quickly finished her statement then casually remarked, "Pushing both of us out of the way like that, he must have really been in a hurry. Maybe he was late for a cosplay contest."

"Uh, yeah, I suppose," Kyoko reasoned.

"You going to be okay?" Takumi asked. "Maybe you should skip rehearsal today. I could just work with Asuna-san since she knows your part pretty well."

"No, that won't be necessary. I'll be fine," she insisted, then began using her hands to brush herself off. "I just need to straighten up a bit; my hair's a mess. You go on ahead, I'll be there shortly."

"Okay, if you're sure you're alright."

Kyoko now went back into the restroom as Takumi and Akira then headed back down the hall.

"So what was that all about?" Akira was curious to know. "Why didn't you want me to say anything?"

"Because she's under enough stress as it is. It would only add to her worries if she knew that someone had been threatening me to drop out."

"What?" Akira was shocked to hear. "He threatened you? Takumi, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I'm telling you now. Besides, you ran off after him so quickly that I never had a chance to."

"Well what exactly did he say?"

"He just said that I should drop out of the play and to quit snooping around. But it was just a warning. I'm sure he had no intention of hurting me."

"This time. Takumi I think you're in way over your head on this. You should just…"

"What, give in to his threats? Then the play will have to be cancelled and he'll have won. I can't let that happen, Akira."

"Yeah, I hate to admit it but you're right," Akira sighed. "Alright that settles it. Until this is over with I'm not leaving your side. I'll just have to go with you to your rehearsals."

"I really don't think that'll be necessary, Akira. I'm sure I'll be perfectly fine."

"Look, Takumi, whoever's behind this obviously intended it as a warning and was trying to frighten you into quitting. But you may not be so lucky next time. So since you're being stubborn about this and insist on pursuing it, I'm going to make sure that there isn't going to be a next time."

"Somehow I didn't think I could talk you out of it," Takumi said with a smile. "But I appreciate you looking out for me."

"Yeah, well, somebody's gotta do it," she modestly replied. "So you must be on to something for someone to be making threats to you. What have you found out so far?"

"Just a few things here and there. For instance, Asuna-san, one of the girls who has a supporting role, desperately wanted the lead in the play. But Kyoko-san felt that only she could do the role justice, seeing as how she wrote the entire production."

"That seems kind of self-centered," Akira remarked.

"In any case, Asuna-san was not too happy about it and she's made her opinion known to everyone in the production, including me."

"Well I guess you can't blame her for being upset. So do you think she might be capable of sabotaging the play?"

"It's still too soon to tell, but she certainly has a motive. Then of course there's Kohei-san. From what I've heard from Kyoko-san, he's kind of upset that he wasn't given a part in the play, being relegated instead to stage manager. Not everyone could be in it after all; a couple people had to be assigned to the stage crew. And because he's the newest and youngest member in the club, Kyoko-san felt it only fair to everyone else that he work behind the scenes first before performing on stage."

"Sounds reasonable."

"But when Hajime was unexpectedly forced to drop out, Kyoko-san was prepared to give him a chance. However, Kohei-san refused to take on the role. Turns out that he's superstitious and thinks that the production is cursed because of all the weird things that have been happening. Kyoko-san is not too thrilled with the way he's been going around and spreading rumors about the play being cursed, since it's obviously been upsetting a couple of people in the cast to the point where they were considering dropping out."

"You think he may be doing this as a way of getting back at Kyoko-san for not giving him an opportunity from the very start?"

"Possibly. But again, it's too soon to tell. I don't have much to go on right now; all I have is hunch."

As they continued talking on their way to the auditorium, Takumi decided to take a shortcut through the gymnasium. Making their way through, the two were surprised to see a band practicing towards the far end, prompting them to pause momentarily to listen to the group. Once they finished their set, the bass player caught a glimpse of Takumi and immediately began pointing a finger in his direction while chatting with the other members of the group. Finally, the lead singer began making his way over to him.

Wearing a black T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up, the white-haired teen who looked to be around sixteen didn't bother mincing words as he walked straight up to Takumi and asked, "Hey, you that kid whose taking over the lead in the school play?"

"Uh, yes, yes I am," Takumi hesitantly replied.

"So it is true. Pity. I had heard that the play was gonna be canceled, but it looks like they found a last minute replacement. You got guts kid, but you should have left well enough alone."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akira defensively retorted, stepping between them.

"Well well, what have we here?" the singer said quite amused. "Relax, missy, this doesn't concern you."

"Don't call me that! My name's Akira! And if you do anything to hurt Takumi I'll…"

"Man, you're feisty. But don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt your boyfriend, I just have a message for him."

"A message?" Takumi curiously asked.

"Yeah. Tell Kyoko that she had better change her mind about letting us use the auditorium for our gig during the festival. The acoustics there are way better than they are in here. And don't give me that crap about her being first to requisition it from the festival committee. There's no reason why we both can't use it."

"Um, okay, I'll be sure and give her the message, uhhh…" Takumi struggled, then asked, "By the way, what's your name?"

"Ryusuke. Ryusuke Tanaka. And this is our band, Serial Mama."

"Well you guys sounded awesome just now," Takumi complimented. "That was 'Slip Out' by Dying Breed that you were playing just now, right?"

"You got a good ear kid," Ryusuke said seeming rather impressed. "You should come hear us perform and just dump this whole play nonsense."

"I can't do that. I promised my friend that I would help out. But I'd love to come and hear you perform. I'll see if I can get Kyoko-san to reconsider, but I can't make any promises."

"You know, you're alright… Takumi was it? But still, I'm serious about what I said. If she doesn't change her mind I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

"Is that a threat?" Akira now stepped directly before him, confronting him face to face.

"Take it easy, sweetheart. My beef isn't with the two of you, it's with Kyoko. And besides, I don't make threats, I just tell it like it is."

"Why you…"

"Akira!" Takumi interceded.

"Haha, better keep a leash on her, Takumi-san. Wouldn't want her running around loose."

Akira was getting ready to lunge at Ryusuke until Takumi grabbed a hold of her arm to restrain her.

"Akira, let it go," Takumi urged.

"Fine!" she stubbornly submitted.

"Uh, we'll see you later, Ryusuke-san," Takumi said as he took Akira by the hand and quickly departed the gymnasium, anxious to avoid a confrontation between them.

* * *

"Absolutely not!" Kyoko resolutely stated. "I'm sorry, Takumi-san, but there's no way that I'm letting those hoodlums perform in here right before us. The kinds of crowds that they attract are sure to frighten off some of our audience. Besides, I've requisitioned the use of the auditorium from the festival committee a long time ago, so I'm well within my rights. Now as to your other matter, I don't have any problem with having Akira-san hanging around, considering that she's worried about your safety. I'd just have to insist that you watch from the seats, Akira-san, so you won't get in the way. However, if you'd like, I could offer you a small part as one of the daimyo's loyal samurai. You'd only have a few brief lines but at least you could watch over Takumi-san at a closer range."

"Oh, alright," Akira reluctantly replied, "I suppose if it's the only way."

"Thank you, Kyoko-san," Takumi excitedly said. "I'm sure she'll do just fine. This will be a lot of fun, Akira, you'll see."

"I can hardly wait," she unenthusiastically remarked.

* * *

"Takumi-san, I know that this is a very expressive scene that requires a lot of body movement," Asuna instructed her fellow cast mate, "but try not to turn your back to the audience as you're moving about."

"Oh, sorry, Asuna-san."

"Just worry about your next line, Asuna," Kyoko advised, "and leave the directing to me."

"Well pardon me Miss high and mighty," Asuna sarcastically retorted. "I wasn't aware that the director and leading lady also held the patent on doling out helpful advice."

"There's no need to be sarcastic, I just think…"

"You just think that you're better than the rest of us!" Asuna angrily shot back. "Just because you wrote the play, you think that you're the only one who can do justice to the leading role."

"Are we going to start that again?" Kyoko frustratingly asked, rolling her eyes.

"My, my, some things just never change," a female voice was heard coming from the aisle."

"Setsuna, is that you?" Kyoko looked out as the girl neared the bottom of the stage.

"I heard about all the mishaps that seem to be plaguing your little production," Setsuna wryly remarked, "so I just had to stop by and see for myself. What's the matter, Kyoko, too much for you to handle on your own? Maybe it wouldn't hurt for you to step back and let someone else shoulder some of the burden."

"Who is that?" Takumi leaned over, asking Asuna in a soft whisper.

"Setsuna Kawada," Asuna quietly replied. "She was in the drama club last year until she had a falling out with Kyoko. They were always butting heads and could never agree on anything. Each thought that their way was the best at doing things. Finally, Setsuna couldn't take it anymore and just quit the club. Before she left though she made a comment saying that Kyoko would fail miserably without her help. And personally, I think she may be right."

"Was there something you wanted or did you just come here to gloat?" Kyoko demanded to know.

"Oh I would never gloat over someone else's tragic misfortunes," Setsuna sarcastically replied. "I merely came by to see how everything was going. However I can see that you have everything well under control, even though you can't control your own cast. But you needn't worry, I have no intention of coming back to the club, nor do I wish to try and steal the spotlight out from under you. Of course I wouldn't be surprised if that spotlight came crashing down unexpectedly, seeing as how everything else has been falling apart around here. Ahahahahahahaha."

Setsuna maintained her vengeful laughter as she made her way back up the aisle and exited the auditorium.

"Ooooo, that girl really gets on my nerves!" Kyoko fumed.

"Um, Kyoko-san?" Takumi apprehensively approached. "Everyone's a bit on edge at the moment, so perhaps it would be a good idea if we took a break right now."

"Yeah, that probably would be a good idea," Kyoko agreed as she then announced, "Okay, everyone, let's take a fifteen!"

"Well that was certainly an interesting debate," Akira commented as she met up with Takumi in the wings.

Taking a seat on a prop chest, Takumi began to relay to her what Asuna had told him.

"Wow, it sure seems like a lot of people aren't too fond of Kyoko-san right now," Akira observed. "But my money is still on Ryusuke-san. That guy just really rubbed me the wrong way and seems like the kind of person who would do anything to get his way. So I wouldn't put it past him if he was behind all of this."

"You shouldn't be too quick to judge people, Akira. You only saw the gruff side of him. I on the other hand was able to see the gentler side of his personality. In fact, he sort of reminds me of someone else I know who has a similar disposition," indicating to Akira with an insinuative grin.

"Oh don't even try and compare me to that guy," she seemed to take offense at. "I am nothing like that big oaf."

"Okay, okay, just forget I said anything," Takumi tried to change he subject. "I'm going to go get something to drink, you want anything?"

"That's okay, I'll go," she offered. "I've been getting kind of bored without much to do. You're probably more tired than I am anyway. Be right back."

While he waited, Takumi glanced over his script to try and commit some more of his dialogue to memory. He didn't get very far as Akira returned in less than two minutes, empty handed.

"What's wrong, is the vending machine out of order?"

"I think there's something that you need to see," Akira said sounding rather concerned.

Following her over to the exit at the back of the stage, Akira turned her head from side to side as if she were looking for something. She then poked her head out the door and looked down the hall.

"Too late, he's already gone," she disappointingly remarked, "and so are his crutches."

"Crutches? Are you talking about Hajime?" Takumi asked, as he noticed him and Kyoko sitting on some chairs beside the green room, each holding a drink in their hands.

"Yeah. As I was about to head down the hall toward the vending machines, I noticed Hajime's crutches leaning up alongside the door. When I looked down the hall I saw him standing on his own two feet in front of the machines. Takumi, I don't think he's hurt at all."

"What? Akira, are you sure about this?"

"I know what I saw."

"Well did he appear to be limping when he walked?"

"Uh… I didn't exactly see him walk. I just briefly saw him standing in front of the vending machine before I ducked back inside."

"Then I'm afraid that doesn't prove anything. He may have just left his crutches behind to make it easier to carry his drinks. It's not exactly that far, he could easily have just limped that short distance."

"Takumi, I know he's your friend, but you shouldn't be trying to cover for him if he's behind this."

"I'm not trying to cover for him. Here, take a look at this."

Takumi pointed to a table by the exit door where everyone had placed their book bags and backpacks. He then indicated to an open area of the table that had two ring-shaped water marks.

"See? When he came back, he set the drinks down here, got his crutches, and then took one of the drinks over to Kyoko-san. Then he came back to get his drink. Also, these water marks left by the condensation from the cans are still cold, proving that they're recent."

Akira touched one of the water marks and then glanced over to where Hajime and Kyoko were sitting. She then looked to Takumi who just flashed her a smile.

"Alright," she conceded, "I guess you could be right about that. But there's still one other thing that I want to show you. Take a look at this."

Indicating to one of the book bags on the table, Takumi observed that it was bulging and had a familiar black material blatantly protruding out from it. Akira then picked it up and was getting ready to open it.

"Akira, wait! You can't do that, it isn't yours."

"But this is the ninja outfit that was used in your attack. So all we have to do is find out who this bag belongs to and we've got our suspect."

"That still doesn't give us the right to go through other people's property."

"I know, but don't you want to know who it was that threatened you?"

"Of course, but there's a very simple way to find out who it belongs to without going through it. All we have to do is wait until rehearsal is over and see who picks it up."

"Well sure, if you want to do things by the book," Akira impatiently said rolling her eyes. "All right, I'll wait. But I'm nabbing that guy the minute he picks it up."

"There'll be no nabbing," Takumi forbid. "Just observe, nothing else."

"How about this? You can observe me when I pound that guy into the ground for what he's done and for ever laying a hand on you."

"Akira!"

"Fine, I'll just observe," Akira begrudgingly replied.

"Good. Now then, there's something I'd like to check out."

Walking over to a separate room that was marked props and costumes, Takumi attempted to open it but quickly discovered that it was locked."

"Want me to break it down?" Akira offered.

"I do hope you're kidding."

"Hey guys!" Hajime came over and greeted them.

"How's your ankle doing?" Takumi inquired.

"Still swollen, so I still need the crutches unfortunately. So, you two looking for something?"

"We were just curious about the costumes that we were going to be wearing," Takumi explained.

"Oh, well that door's usually kept locked. The only ones with a key are Kyoko-chan, Kohei-san and me. But I'd be happy to show them to you," Hajime offered as he unlocked the door.

Flipping the light switch then revealed a five hundred square foot room containing several hanging racks of costumes and numerous shelves of miscellaneous theatrical props.

"Wow, you've got quite a selection," Takumi said, sounding rather impressed.

"Yeah, we've accumulated quite a bit over the years. We're rather proud of it."

"Got any ninja costumes?" Akira bluntly asked.

Takumi just shook his head at her lack of subtlety.

"Of course," Hajime was happy to oblige as he began rummaging through one of the racks. "Hmm, that's strange."

"What is it?" Takumi queried.

"One of them is missing. I know we had three ninja costumes because we just used them in the play we put on last year."

Akira's eyes and mouth shot open as she quickly looked to Takumi with great interest. Takumi just calmly shook his head, indicating to her not to say anything, all the while maintaining a calm demeanor.

"Guess it must have been hung on the wrong rack," Hajime reasoned. "I'll look for it later."

"Um, Hajime?" Takumi curiously asked. "You said that this door is usually kept locked?"

"Yeah, but Kohei-san has forgotten to lock it a couple of times. He's still new though, we just have to remind him a few more times until he gets into the habit," Hajime noted as he then came across what he was looking for. "Ah, here they are. These are the costumes that you'll be wearing."

Hajime pulled two black kimonos from the rack and handed one each to Takumi and Akira. He then pulled two pair of gray hakama pants, each looking like a very broad skirt with wide pleats. Finally he handed each of them a matching kataginu, which was a vest with broad, wing-like shoulders. Because his character's rank was higher and because he was the lead, Takumi's attire was a bit more elegant in appearance.

"Wow, these are great," Takumi said admiring the outfits. "What do you think, Akira?"

Not appearing too enthusiastic, Akira remarked, "I think I'd rather wear the ninja outfit."

* * *

With rehearsals now winding down for the day, Kyoko had Takumi go through one final reading of a scene before calling it a day.

"That was pretty good, Takumi-san," Kyoko complimented. "Now before you go, could I ask you to do that scene more time? But this time I want you to read this."

Walking over to the right side of the stage where she stood, Takumi received a piece of paper from Kyoko where she had written down some dialogue.

"Oh, Kyoko-chan," Hajime remarked in disbelief, "don't tell me you're changing it again?"

"I just don't like the way it flows. This might be better."

"But it was fine the way it was," Hajime maintained.

As Takumi began walking back out onto the stage, he was looking down at the paper and reviewing the rewritten dialogue, unaware of the danger that lurked from above. One of the lights, housed in a round metal casing, had broken loose and began plunging directly towards the stage.

"TAKUMI!" Akira shouted from the wings, "LOOK OUT!"


	3. Tricks of the Trade

**Stage Fright**

**Act 3 - Tricks of the Trade**

"TAKUMI!" Akira shouted from the wings, "LOOK OUT!"

Rushing over, Akira abruptly pushed Takumi out of the way, knocking him down in the process. As a result, she now laid on top of him, attempting to shield his body.

"You okay, Takumi?"

"I will be once you… Ow! …get off of me."

"Oh, sorry," Akira replied, quickly moving off of him, "didn't mean to crush you."

"Akira, I was a good ten feet away from where that thing landed; you didn't need to do that. But thank you."

"Well you seem to be taking this rather lightly. Aren't you even the least bit worried?"

"I know I probably should be, but I have a theory. You see…"

Just as he got up and started to explain, everyone else now began to gather around him to make sure that he was uninjured.

"I am so sorry, Takumi-san," Kyoko vehemently apologized, "I don't understand how that could have happened."

"Wow, you were really lucky, Takumi-san," Asuna observed, noting the area where the light had fallen. "This is the exact spot where you would have stood to give your reading."

Akira came over and was horrified when she moved the fixture to one side, revealing a small strip of masking tape, denoting where Takumi was to stand.

"Takumi, now will you listen to me and stop this foolishness!" Akira insisted. "You could have been seriously hurt… or worse. I know you want to help out, but…"

"Akira-san's right," Kyoko agreed. "It isn't fair of me to ask you to continue on if this begins to endanger your life. I should have canceled the production after Hajime-kun's mishap. I'm sorry."

"Well, if you really feel that way, then I won't stop you," Takumi stated. "But just so you know, I have no intention of quitting."

"Takumi, are you serious?" Akira was shocked to hear.

"Takumi-san, you don't have to do this," Kyoko reassured him.

"Yes, I do," he maintained. "I don't know about you, but I refuse to just give in to these cowardly acts. There's no way that I could just walk out and leave everyone knowing of all the hard work that they've put into this. No, I refuse to let whoever's behind this ruin such a great play. If anyone else wants to quit, then that's fine. But as for me, I intend to stick it out and see this thing through to the end."

The majority of the cast and crew let out a resounding cheer at his uplifting statement, several of whom came over and gave him a supportive pat on the back.

"Thank you, Takumi-san," Kyoko gratefully acknowledged, "I really appreciate this."

"I can't figure you out, Takumi-san," Kohei said as he came up to him. "You're either incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid for not heeding all these warnings."

"Why that little…" Akira angrily remarked as he walked away. "That almost sounded like a threat."

"Take it easy, Akira," Takumi said as he now began examining the fallen light fixture. "He's just stating his opinion, that's all."

"Alright everyone," Kyoko announced to the cast and crew, "let's call it day. I'll see you all back here tomorrow."

"What exactly are you looking for?" Akira inquired as he continued combing through the debris from the fallen fixture. "We should really go too, it's getting late. Besides, I can't help thinking that there's something we forgot."

Looking up at her as they now began to recall, "The book bag!" they both said in unison.

Rushing over to the table by the exit door, they soon realized that the bag in question was now gone.

"We're too late," Akira said in frustration. "It's almost as if that little accident back there was intended as a distraction."

"Akira, look!" Takumi indicated, pointing a finger over to the room with the props and costumes. There, they noticed Kohei remove what appeared to be a black garment from his book bag. Taking cover behind a curtain so that they wouldn't be spotted, they watched as he carefully checked to see if anyone was around before proceeding into the room. Within a few seconds, he came back out and quickly made his way toward the exit.

"I knew it!" Akira exclaimed. "So it was him! I am so going to…"

"Akira, remember what I said," Takumi reminded her. "We're just going to observe. Come on."

Heading over to the room, Takumi placed his hand on the doorknob when Akira then reminded him, "Don't you remember what Hajime said? That door is kept…"

"Just as I thought," Takumi knowingly stated as he opened the door.

"Locked?" Akira trailed off.

"Guess he was in such a hurry that he forgot to lock it. Again."

Making his way over to the rack where he knew that they were kept, Takumi observed that all three ninja outfits were now present.

"Well what do you know," Takumi satisfactorily stated, "it magically reappeared."

"This proves it!" Akira proclaimed. "Maybe if I hurry I can still catch him."

"That won't be necessary, Akira."

"What are you talking about? You saw him put it back! How much more proof do you need? He did it!"

"Are you sure about that? Maybe somebody planted it in his bag, did you ever consider that?"

"Oh I give up! I don't know how you can just let him walk out of here."

"Akira, we don't have enough proof yet," Takumi reminded her as they exited the room, closing the door behind him. "You can't accuse everyone just because it appears they may be guilty. A while ago you were getting ready to accuse Hajime of the crime."

"Oh, well, that was… I mean I…"

"Look, just try and be a little more patient. I'm sure we'll catch our culprit eventually."

"Oh. Are you two still here?" Kyoko was surprised to see as she came up to them, carrying a broom and dustpan in one hand. "I thought you had left. I was just going to clean up the rest of the debris on the stage; there's still some broken glass lying around."

"We were just on our way out now," Takumi replied. "We could give you a hand if you'd like."

"No that's okay, I can manage. Listen, thanks again for sticking with us on this. You're a real trooper."

"No problem. Well, we'll see you tomorrow."

As they exited the auditorium and began heading back to their dorms, Akira remarked, "I must say, I thought for sure that you would make up some sort of excuse so that you could stay behind and look for clues."

"Don't need to, I've already found one," Takumi informed her as he reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a short piece of string.

"What's that?"

"It's piece of nylon fishing line," he said holding it up to her.

"How is that a clue?"

"I found it by the light fixture, so I have a feeling that someone used this to cause it to fall."

"I'm afraid I don't follow you," Akira said sounding rather confused.

"You will. And I'm going to prove my theory, but I'm going to need your help. You feeling adventurous?"

"Always," she eagerly replied. "Why, what do you have in mind?"

"I'll explain later. But first, let's go get something to eat, I'm starving. And then by the time we're finished, Kyoko-san will have gone home for the day."

"You mean you're planning on coming back?"

"Precisely. Besides, I can't really do this while everyone else is still around."

"But the auditorium will be locked by then, and other than the faculty, Kyoko-san is the only one with a key."

"I've taken care of that. We shouldn't have any problem getting back in."

"You realize of course that we may get in trouble if we're caught."

"I know, but it may be the only chance that I have to prove my theory and put an end to all of this."

"You really surprise me sometimes, Takumi," Akira remarked, giving him a hard slap on the back. "I never knew you had it in you."

"Well I'm not exactly proud of myself for doing this."

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. And no one will see us; I'll make sure of that. After all, the art of stealth is my specialty."

"I know. That's what I'm counting on."

* * *

"Okay, so how do you plan on getting inside?" Akira asked as they arrived back at the auditorium's rear exit a little over an hour later. "You need me to break it down?"

"Uh, that won't be necessary. Go on, open it."

Pulling on the heavy metal door's handle, Akira was surprised to see that it was unlocked.

"Kyoko-san must have forgotten to lock it," Akira figured.

"There's nothing for her to forget. This door locks by itself as soon as it closes, and the only back in is with a key."

"But then how…"

As Akira continued to hold open the door, Takumi reached into the door's strike plate and pulled out a wad of paper.

"This prevented the latch from engaging. I took the liberty of placing it there just before we left."

"I don't know whether I should be proud of you or worried for you?" Akira commented, seeming quite startled at his abilities of breaking and entering. "I sure hope you don't make a habit out of this."

"Not to worry. Come on."

After turning on the backstage lights, Takumi headed over to the right hand side of the stage until he came to a metal lattice framework mounted up against the side of the wall. There, several ropes ran vertically along the wall from a set of counterweights up towards a pulley in the ceiling, appearing to loop around it. Returning back down and feeding through a rope lock, which was directly in front of the weights, it then ran through a pulley mounted on the floor and came full circle, attaching to the bottom of the weight set. Takumi gazed upwards as he closely examined each of the ropes.

"What exactly are you looking for?"

"Something that shouldn't be there."

"Huh?" Akira asked with a puzzled look. "So is all this used for the scenery?"

"And the lighting too. It's used to raise and lower both with the help of some counterweights. So when the operator wants to raise, say a backdrop, all he needs to do is release the corresponding rope lock," Takumi demonstrated by pulling down on a lever of one of the locks. "Then he would simply pull on this rope which will then raise the backdrop up into the ceiling, or flyspace as it's called. The weights on the other end of it make it easier on the operator to raise and lower. Of course it's very important that the load and the weights be in balance. In other words, if the two aren't properly counterbalanced, your backdrop, in this case, would come crashing down when the rope lock is released."

"So who's in charge of operating this thing?"

"Well depending on the complexity of the production, there might be one person solely in charge of its operation. But this play isn't that complex so the stage manager simply takes care of it."

"Kohei-san!" Akira proclaimed.

"Right. However, several people other than him had access to the rope locks. The problem is that just before every one of these mishaps, no one was even near it. And yet, afterwards it was discovered that the lever on the rope lock had mysteriously been released in each instance. After the second incident had occurred, which is when Hajime got injured, Kyoko-san began placing padlocks on the levers to prevent any further mishaps."

"But still, even if the lever were released, the backdrop shouldn't have fallen if it was correctly balanced."

"That's true," Takumi concurred, "but it's not always possible to counterbalance it one hundred percent. As long as the difference in weight is within fifty pounds it's perfectly acceptable. Naturally you would still need to have a firm grip on the rope when you release the lock, and of course nobody was there to hold it during those two instances. Now granted, the rate of descension when it fell was rather slow because the difference in weight was not that great, so no one was ever really in any danger. However, it was still enough to throw a scare into everyone."

"Alright, but you said that Kyoko-san padlocked the rope locks," Akira tried to comprehend. "So how could that light fixture have fallen?"

"It seems that our perpetrator used a different method this time. And if you think about it, he seems to have gradually progressed from using simple scare tactics, like props and set pieces that mysteriously move, to slowly falling backdrops. Now he seems to have stepped it up another notch with this latest occurrence. And since no one was anywhere near the rope locks or any of the objects in question when the incidents occurred, it makes it pretty hard to point a finger at any one person."

"Then I don't see how he could have done it. He would almost have to be in two places at the same time," Akira pointed out. "What is this guy, a phantom?"

"Not quite. But he obviously figured out a way to accomplish just that."

"Well that's quite a trick to be able to pull that off."

"And that's exactly what it was, Akira, a trick. Using some sort of cheap theatrical trick, our so-called phantom was able to create the illusion of being in two places at once. The question is, how?"

"Any ideas?"

"I think I may have an idea, but I'm going to need your help," Takumi requested as he then began to look up and point towards the rafters. "Akira, I'm sorry to ask you to do this, but seeing as how the ladder that accesses the catwalk is padlocked, do you think there's any way that you could… Akira?"

Before he could even finish his request, Takumi was startled to see that Akira had already used her ninja abilities to make her way up into the flyspace. Standing on one of the steel beams with her arms folded, Akira appeared ready to receive further instructions from Takumi, anxious to spring into action.

"Akira, how did you… never mind. I'm getting dizzy just looking at you up there. Please be careful, that looks dangerous where you're standing. At least use the catwalk."

"Relax, this is like child's play for me. Now what do you need me to look for?"

Walking over to the section of the stage where the light had fallen, Takumi stood directly on that spot and then gazed upwards.

"Do you see anything out of the ordinary above from where I'm standing?"

"Well I'm not exactly familiar with this layout," Akira mentioned as she leaped over from her current location to where Takumi was, "so I'm not exactly sure what you'd consider ordinary. Wait a minute."

"Did you find something?"

"That fishing line that you showed me before, there's a piece running alongside one of the ropes. Is that supposed to be up here?"

"Absolutely not. Can you tell where it goes?"

"Let me see," Akira replied as she began to trace where the line originated. "Okay, part of it ends here by all these lights, and then the other end goes… hmmm."

"What is it?"

"It seems to be caught on something," she realized, giving a tug on it to see where the other end went. "Okay, I got it loose. Come over here by this black curtain. It looks like it goes straight down from where I am. Do you see it?"

"Uhh…" Takumi looked for a moment as he then caught sight of the line. Pushing the curtain out of the way, he stood on his tiptoes to try and reach it. "Got it. Okay, you can come down now, Akira."

Akira quickly reappeared directly next to him within a second after completing his last sentence.

"Ahh!" Takumi reacted quite startled, still not used to her quick reflexes. "Jeez, how about a little warning next time."

"Sorry. So what did you find?"

"Take a look at this," Takumi indicated, holding up a small round device, about six inches in diameter that the fishing line entered into.

"A tape measure?"

"Or rather, a slightly modified tape measure. It appears that this fishing line has been substituted for the measuring tape. It's still spring-loaded so that when you press on this little button," Takumi began to demonstrate, "the line will quickly retract. Very clever."

"Huh. Interesting. So what's it all mean?"

"It means that we now know how our perpetrator was able to pull all this off without being noticed. Everything's finally starting to fall into place, Akira. Now all we need to do is gather everyone together tomorrow and then we'll be able to 'nab our suspect', as you would put it."

"Wait. You mean you know who it is?"

"Maybe," Takumi slyly stated, flashing her an elusive grin.

"It's Ryusuke-san, isn't it? I knew that guy couldn't be trusted. Am I right?"

"You'll find out tomorrow," he casually replied.

"Tomorrow?" Akira just stood with a dumbfounded expression as Takumi began heading towards the exit. "Takumi, get back here and tell me who it is!"


	4. The Final Curtain

**Stage Fright**

**Act 4 - The Final Curtain**

After completing her brief scene, Akira now stood alongside Hajime in the wings during rehearsal the following day. They watched along with the rest of the cast as Takumi and Kyoko prepared to rehearse the play's final scene. As they began, Akira noticed that Hajime seemed kind of tense and that his hand appeared somewhat sweaty. He then clenched it into a fist when Takumi took a few steps closer to Kyoko.

"Is there something wrong, Hajime?" Akira asked with concern.

"Uh, no, not at all," he anxiously responded.

"Oh, okay. It's just that you seem kind of nervous."

Realizing that there was no point in denying it, Hajime confessed, "Well, the truth is I am a bit… wait a minute, you seem awfully calm and I know that you two like each other, so doesn't this scene bother you too?"

"Why would it?"

"Why? Well obviously it's because… wait, you don't know, do you?" Hajime realized. "Akira, have you even read through the entire script?"

"Um, not exactly. Since I just have a bit part, I only looked over my lines."

"And Takumi didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what? Hajime, what exactly is this scene about?"

"This is the scene where their characters reunite and kiss," Hajime bluntly informed her.

"Kiss?" Akira replied somewhat stupefied. "You mean Takumi and Kyoko-san…"

Hajime nodded, acknowledging her with a concerned look. She then quickly directed her attention back onto the stage, watching with apprehension as the scene unfolded.

With his arms now wrapped around Kyoko's waist, Takumi's reading sounded extremely heartfelt as his character declared his love for her. Gazing into each other's eyes, Kyoko's lips began to close in on his when suddenly Takumi's hand went up between them.

"Um, I'm sorry, but do you think it would be alright if we waited until the actual performance to do this?" Takumi requested.

"Oh, ah, sure. I guess that would be okay," Kyoko understandably replied.

Akira and Hajime, meanwhile, each breathed a huge sigh of relief as Takumi now made his way over to her, while Hajime went to talk with Kyoko.

"Rehearsal's almost over, Akira, so now might be a good time to…"

"What was that all about?" Akira demanded to know.

"What are you talk…" Takumi cluelessly began to ask, then suddenly realized, "Oh that."

"Yeah, that! Were you ever planning on telling me about it?"

"What's there to tell? It's all part of the act. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" she said in disbelief, raising her voice. "You call kissing her not a big deal?"

"Now see, this is exactly why I didn't tell you. I knew you were going to blow this way out of proportion. Akira, it's just acting. All we do is press our lips together. It means nothing; it's nothing like a real kiss."

"Well then if that's the case, why did you stop towards the end? Why didn't you just finish the scene and… press your lips against hers?"

"It's because…" Takumi hesitated, then realized that he didn't fully consider how she might have felt, "because I knew it might make you feel uncomfortable. Sorry, I guess maybe I should have told you earlier about that scene. Even though I may simply view it as acting, I failed to stop and think how you might view it. I guess I really can't blame you for becoming jealous."

"Idiot! I'm not jealous," she defensively shot back, then awkwardly remarked. "I… I just noticed that it made Hajime a bit on edge and became concerned for him, that's all."

"That's all, huh?" Takumi began to egg her on. "Are you sure you weren't feeling just a teensy bit jealous?"

Akira now became flustered, prompting her to turn her head off to the side and stammer, "Sh…shut up."

With an amused look on his face, Takumi looked over to where Hajime and Kyoko were talking and pondered, "Hmm, I wonder if they're having a similar conversation?"

"I think Hajime may have feelings for her," Akira observed.

"Oh I know he does. He just hasn't acted on those feelings yet," Takumi informed her. "Anyway, rehearsal's almost over and I'd like to start getting everyone together when I make my announcement. Setsuna-san should be here soon, so I just need you to go and get Ryusuke-san."

"With pleasure," she eagerly replied with a devious expression.

"Now Akira, be nice to him and don't make any trouble," Takumi called after her as she headed out, realizing full well that that may be asking too much.

* * *

"Good job everyone!" Kyoko complimented the cast and crew. "Let's stop here for today and…"

"I beg your pardon, Kyoko-san," Takumi interjected, "but there's something that I need to discuss with everyone before you send them home."

"Oh, sure," Kyoko obliged him as everyone began to gather around. "What's on your mind?"

"Well you see…"

"Hope I didn't miss any of the fireworks," Setsuna's voice came from the wings, now joining everyone else on stage.

"Oh, Setsuna-san," Takumi greeted, "thank you so much for coming, I really appreciate it."

"What's she doing here?" Kyoko demanded to know.

"I'm sorry, but I asked her to come. It's very important that we're all…"

Takumi was cut short again when he heard shouting coming from the aisle, which appeared to be getting louder.

"Let go of me!" Ryusuke demanded of Akira, forcing him along as she had his arm twisted behind his back.

"Akira, what are you doing? Let him go," Takumi insisted.

"Well you asked me to bring him here and that's what I did, " Akira contended as she brought him up onto the stage.

"Yeah but I didn't tell you to use force."

"Hey, there was no way that I was going to let him get away from me again," she declared, releasing him from her grasp.

"What is your problem?" Ryusuke protested, rubbing his injured arm. "And what do you mean get away from you again?"

"Oh I know it was you in that ninja outfit," Akira asserted.

"Ninja outfit? What are you talking about?"

"Okay, that's enough," Takumi interjected. "I'm sorry, Ryusuke-san. I hope she didn't hurt you, but I felt that you should be here since this concerns you too."

"Yeah well, your little friend here did say that you had something important you wanted to discuss with me. I would have gone with her if she had simply asked. Maybe you should reconsider about putting a leash on her."

An incensed Akira was prepared to attack him until Takumi stepped between them.

"Akira!" Takumi objected, shaking his head.

"Say what's this all about anyway," Setsuna inquired.

"Right, since we're all here then I'll get straight to the point," Takumi announced. "First I want to thank everyone for their patience on this matter. There have been a lot of rumors and accusations going around regarding who our saboteur is. But I'm here to tell you that that all stops here today."

"You mean you know who it is?" Kyoko was surprised to hear.

"I'll get to that in a few minutes, but first, I'd like to go over a few things with everyone. As you all know by now, this production has been plagued with numerous unexplained occurrences over the past two weeks. It started off small with a prop or set piece that mysteriously moved on its own, but then it became a bit more serious when backdrops started falling, culminating with yesterday's light fixture incident. Somebody obviously doesn't want this production to go on, and they're willing to go to some pretty extreme lengths to shut it down. And that person is among us today."

Several people then began looking at one another and talking quietly amongst themselves while Takumi slowly scanned everyone with his eyes and gauged their reactions.

"As serious as these latest events may be," he continued, "and the harm that each gave the appearance of being able to inflict, no one was ever seriously injured. Hajime's injury was merely a result of his reaction when he attempted to get out of harm's way. The fact is that he was never in any real danger from where he was standing. The backdrop that fell that day would never have hit him. The rate at which it fell was too slow and therefore easily avoidable even if he had been standing closer to it. No, our perpetrator never had any intention of harming anyone. His main goal was simply to strike fear into the hearts and minds of everyone here in the hopes that they would drop out, thereby bringing about the play's cancellation."

"But what possible reason could this person have for wanting to shut us down?" Kohei tried to comprehend.

"Actually, several of you here had a reason for wanting to see the show fail," Takumi implied, suspiciously eyeing everyone. "But of course only one of you actually followed through with their intentions. Setsuna-san..."

"You can't pin this on me!" she hastily reacted. "Sure I wanted this play to fail. I mean it's no secret that Kyoko and me didn't get along very well; that's why I left the club last year. She was always the perfectionist and was never happy with my suggestions. I merely wanted to help, but she always had to have her way and never took criticism very well. I just couldn't take it anymore, always being told that my ideas were no good."

"And that's why you quit the club?" Takumi surmised.

"That's right. You have no idea how much that hurt me," she distressingly stated, looking momentarily over at Kyoko. "That's why I wanted nothing more than to see her fall flat on her face. Maybe that would bring her down to reality so that she could finally see that she wasn't so perfect."

With a stunned expression, Kyoko looked on at her former club mate seeming genuinely remorseful.

"But I would never do anything to sabotage the play, I swear it! You've got to believe me!"

"Take it easy, kid," Ryusuke reassured her, coming over and placing a hand of support upon her shoulder. "No one's saying you did it. Heck, even I have to admit that I had wished for something to happen that would cancel this play. I'm not saying that I did it of course, but…"

"But you're not saying that you didn't do it either," Akira accusingly stated. "You even said that if Kyoko-san didn't change her mind about letting your band play here that you would take matters into your own hands. Sure sounded like you were pretty serious about following through with your threat."

"Listen, missy," Ryusuke defensively shot back, "I already told you that I don't make threats. What I meant was that if I couldn't get Kyoko to listen to reason, then I would be forced to present the matter before the student council to see if they could resolve the matter for us."

"Like they would listen to you," Kyoko snidely remarked.

"Awfully sure of your self, aren't you, sweetheart?" Ryusuke replied. "It's that kind of attitude that'll bring about your downfall."

"Excuse me? Why I'll have you know that I…"

"Oh boy, here it comes!" Asuna chimed in. "The 'I can do no wrong' speech."

"Asuna-san, please," Hajime pleaded, not wishing for her to get into an argument with Kyoko. "Can't we all just get along?"

"Oh please," Asuna said rolling her eyes. "Why are you always trying to defend her? And don't try and act all innocent just because you supposedly hurt your ankle. Yeah, that's right, I saw you yesterday without your crutches walking down the hall."

Akira looked wide-eyed at Takumi at hearing this revelation since she too had witnessed Hajime in a similar instance.

"Uh, I… I can explain," Hajime stammered.

"What's to explain?" Asuna reasoned. "You faked your injury just so you could get out of the play because you too were tired of putting up with Kyoko's arrogant behavior."

"No, that isn't true!" Hajime contended. "I mean, I admit that I was without my crutches yesterday when you probably saw me, but it's not because I was faking it. I kept hoping that my ankle would heal before the show opened that I became desperate. I practiced walking on it a couple of times without the crutches, ignoring the pain, to try and prove that I could still perform."

"Hajime-kun," a concerned Kyoko asked, "why would you do that to yourself? Takumi-san was doing just fine. Didn't you think that he could handle the part?"

"Oh he's doing a wonderful job," Hajime affirmed as he nervously tried to reason. "But that's not why I… Kyoko-chan I… I don't know how to tell you that…"

"I think I know," Takumi comprehended, giving his friend a supportive smile. "You were worried about the final scene, weren't you?"

"Well I…" Hajime bashfully uttered, eventually acknowledging him with a timid nod.

"Hajime-kun, why on earth would you be worried about that?" Kyoko failed to understand, when suddenly a bright red hue overtook her cheeks as she realized, "Oh."

"I'm sorry, Kyoko-chan," Hajime apologetically stated. "I know it's silly but the thought of you kissing someone else…"

"Hajime-kun," Kyoko compassionately replied, genuinely touched by his forthright admission.

"How touching," Asuna sarcastically remarked. "I think I finally know what went down. You were so concerned for your precious little Kyoko-chan, worried how all the stress from working on this play was starting to take it's toll on her, that you decided to rescue her from herself. So you sabotaged a few set pieces hoping that would scare some of us off. When that didn't work you faked your own injury figuring the play would have to be canceled since you were the male lead. But your friend surprised you when he offered to step in. Then you became really desperate when you realized that they would be rehearsing the final scene today, so you resorted to dropping that light fixture to try and scare him off."

"What?" Hajime was shocked at her accusation. "That's preposterous! I would never do anything like that."

"Don't you think you're overstepping your bounds, Asuna-san," Kohei attempted to defend his friend. "Besides, you're not exactly the angel of innocence yourself. As I recall, you were pretty upset when you didn't get the lead in the play. In fact, you were livid when you found out that Kyoko-san had taken the role for herself. You would have done just about anything to see that she didn't get her way."

"Takumi," Akira leaned over and whispered, "don't you think we should put a stop to this? They're all at each others throats."

Shaking his head, Takumi just quietly professed, "Exactly what I was hoping for."

Akira was completely dumbfounded by his response as he then redirected his attention back to Kohei and Asuna's argument.

"Yeah, well I could say the same for you," Asuna countered. "You wanted the male lead just as badly. You weren't exactly thrilled when Kyoko didn't even give you a part, making you stage manager instead. And being stage manager gave you a lot of control over things like set pieces, backdrops and lighting."

"Say, are you insinuating that I…"

"One moment, please," Takumi interrupted. "I have my own insinuation for you. Can you please explain how one of the costume department's ninja costumes came into your possession?"

"Ninja costume? How did you…" Kohei was startled at his knowledge of the fact.

"Oh, so you admit it!" Akira eagerly announced.

"N… No, I mean, sure it was in my bag," he nervously admitted, "but…"

"Wait," Kyoko was surprised to hear. "So you're the one that ran me over in the hall that day and also threatened Takumi if he didn't drop out?"

"No, sempai!" he vehemently denied. "I would never do that! I don't even know how it got in my bag. As soon as I noticed it I immediately took it back to the costume department. Someone must have planted it there."

"Yeah right," Akira accusingly remarked.

"I'm telling you truth!" Kohei defensively shouted.

"Just a moment," Takumi interrupted. "The ninja costume aside for now, can you tell me if you recognize this?"

Pulling the tape measure that he had discovered the night before out of his pocket, Takumi handed it to Kohei who seemed a bit surprised upon first sight of it.

"My tape measure. Where'd you find it?" he curiously asked.

"So it is yours?" Takumi tried to confirm.

"Well, technically it belongs to the school," he tried to clarify, "but I've been using it since we started rehearsals, that is until it disappeared about two weeks ago."

"Disappeared?" Takumi was intrigued to hear.

"Yeah. I looked all over for it until I finally just gave up and wound up getting another one instead."

"Notice anything different about it?" Takumi intimated.

"Different? Not that I can tell. Wait, what the…" Kohei was startled when he went to pull the tape out and saw nylon fishing line instead.

"Say, what's this all about?" Setsuna demanded to know. "Ninja costumes, tape measures with fishing line? What's any of that have to do with what's been going on lately?"

"Plenty." Takumi exclaimed. "But perhaps it might be best if I demonstrated."

Taking the tape measure from Kohei, Takumi went over to the wall where the rope locks were located and proceeded to tie the end of the nylon line onto one of the release levers, which had a padlock on it.

"Kohei-san?" Takumi requested. "Do you have the key for this?"

"Huh? Oh sure."

Taking a key from his pocket, Kohei complied and removed the lock for him, but wondered what he had in mind. Now unspooling several feet of the line, Takumi came back out onto the stage with the line unobtrusively trailing behind him along the floor.

"Hajime, is this about where you were standing on the day of your accident?" Takumi inquired.

"Um, yeah. That seems about right."

"Alright then. Now, everyone pay close attention," Takumi instructed as he then gave a tug on the fishing line.

"Takumi, look out!" Akira cried out as she noticed the backdrop starting to come down, getting ready to push him out of the way.

"It's alright, Akira. Just watch."

As the remainder of the cloth backdrop came to a rest upon the stage, Takumi then turned to face everyone and held up the tape measure, it's line now fully retracted.

"Well that was pretty gutsy, kid," Ryusuke commented. "You're lucky that it wasn't coming down any faster, otherwise it might have hit you."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," Takumi pointed out. "This was all carefully planned and laid out. With a basic knowledge of the stage rigging in this auditorium, our perpetrator was able pull all this off with just a simple flick of the wrist and the push of a button, thereby giving off the illusion of being in two places at the same time. In each instance, the suspect simply looped this line around an object that he wished to manipulate. Say, a table leg for example. Pulling on the line then made it seem like the table was moving on its own. Tugging a bit harder would then cause it to tip over. With the table legs now in a horizontal position, the line could easily slide off allowing the suspect to quickly retract it back inside the spool. The same technique was used to release the brake lever that held the backdrop. And obviously since the fishing line is clear, it made it quite inconspicuous to the naked eye. But as I've stated before, it was never the intent of the suspect to cause harm to anyone, merely to scare."

"How can you say that?" Asuna countered. "Especially after yesterday when that light almost hit you."

"Almost," Takumi emphasized. "While I admit that it may have been a bit too close for comfort, I was still a good ten feet away from where it fell. Also, the method that was used was somewhat different from before. Since the rope locks were now padlocked and everyone was a bit more mindful of them, the suspect didn't want to arouse any suspicion by removing it, even if he did have a key to it. Instead, he went to the trouble of going up on the catwalk and running the fishing line alongside one of the ropes and feeding it down behind the black curtain on the side of the stage. Tying a shorter piece of line around the light fixture, he fastened the longer section to it by using a simple slipknot. Then, all he needed to do to release it was give a quick tug on the line. He timed it so that it would fall when I was within a few feet of where it would hit. Unfortunately, after he released it his line got caught up somewhere up above and was unable to fully retract it. So he decided to leave the device hanging for the time being, figuring that no one would notice it suspended five feet up in the air and concealed within the pleats of the black curtain. But thanks to Akira's agile abilities and keen eyesight, we were able to obtain a crucial piece of evidence."

Shooting a quick glance over at her, Takumi acknowledged Akira with a wink and a smile while she stood proudly, flattered by the recognition.

"This last act was a desperate attempt to get me to drop out, seeing as how his previous scare tactic of dressing up as a ninja and threatening me didn't succeed."

"Why didn't you tell us that you had been threatened, Takumi?" Hajime was curious to know.

"I didn't wish for anyone in the cast to worry," Takumi replied.

"Oh enough of this already," Setsuna impatiently remarked. "Do you know who's behind this or don't you?"

"I do," Takumi confidently stated. "The fact is that I've learned quite a bit about everyone here today. Also, I've come to realize that if you let people talk long enough, sooner or later somebody is going to spill the beans. Well… somebody has."

Takumi stood silently for a moment as he looked out at everyone. Meanwhile, Akira had her eyes on Ryusuke, eagerly awaiting Takumi's announcement that he was the guilty party so that she could personally apprehend him.

"Takumi-san, I can't stand the anticipation," Kyoko anxiously said. "Who is it?"

"You… Kyoko-san," Takumi bluntly stated.

Everyone seemed shocked at his revelation, particularly Akira who had a complete look of disbelief about her as well as one of disappointment.

"Me? Why… you're crazy," Kyoko accused.

"You must be mistaken, Takumi," Hajime tried to reason. "Why would Kyoko-chan want to sabotage her own play?"

"Why indeed," Takumi reiterated. "I myself thought that it was a brilliant script. Unfortunately, the playwright herself didn't see it that way. Kyoko-san constantly made changes to the script, never fully satisfied with her work. Lacking confidence in herself by refusing to simply let the play stand on it's on merits, she decided to pull the script. But of course by that time it was too late to for the club to put on a different production since preparations were well underway for the current one. Afraid of failure, Kyoko-san became desperate and tried to find a way to cancel the play. So, she tried to scare her cast into quitting. That way she would have an excuse for calling off the play while at the same time avoiding any embarrassment. While not successful in her endeavor, she thought that she had caught a break when Hajime injured himself. What she didn't count on was when I offered to step in to take his place. That's when she borrowed the ninja costume from the costume department and used it, hoping that it would scare me into quitting."

"But, Takumi," Akira tried to comprehend. "The person that I was chasing down ran into Kyoko-san and knocked her down. How could it have been her?"

"You lost sight of her momentarily," Takumi pointed out. "That gave her enough time to ditch the costume in the girl's restroom. Remember, she was just outside of it when we found her."

"But there wouldn't have been enough time for her to change," Akira replied.

"Velcro."

"Huh?"

"Velcro," Takumi reiterated. "It's used quite frequently in the theater. It comes in rather handy when a scene calls for a quick costume change. All the performer needs to do is undo the Velcro straps and pull off the costume, wearing the next scene's costume directly underneath it. So it only took Kyoko-san a few seconds to remove the outfit, toss it into the restroom and then sprawl herself out on the ground, giving the appearance of being run over. Also, if you'll recall, her hair was mussed up when we found her. Wanting us to believe that it was due to her alleged run-in, the fact is that it was really the result of pulling the ninja mask from her head."

"That's quite a theory you've conjured up," Kyoko defensively remarked, "but you can't prove a word of it."

"On the contrary. Kyoko-san, earlier you mentioned that you had been knocked over by our mystery ninja right after he had threatened me."

"That's right. What of it?"

"How did you know that I had been threatened seeing as how I never told anyone?"

"Why I…" Kyoko now seemed at a loss.

"Only three people knew that I had been threatened: me, Akira and… the ninja. You!"

An eerie silence now befell upon the stage as all eyes now focused on the accused.

"No, that can't be!" Hajime refused to believe. "Kyoko-chan, tell him it wasn't you!"

"I'm sorry, Hajime-kun," a despondent Kyoko weakly admitted, "but I can't do that."

"But…"

"There's no point in denying it any longer. Everything Takumi-san said was true; it was me."

"Kyoko-chan," Hajime uttered in disbelief.

"All I wanted to do was write an original play to prove to myself that I could someday make it as writer. I thought it was okay at first, but once I submitted it to the club for their input, I started having second thoughts and realized that certain parts of it were just too cliché. When they approved it and decided to perform it during the school festival, I figured I could just make a few changes to the script as rehearsals went along. But it didn't work out that way. On top of all my schoolwork, I had to produce the play, act in the play and then try and find the time to do rewrites. I just couldn't do it and wasn't able to devote enough time to it to really make much of a difference. Even with the few changes that I did manage to make, I still wasn't happy with it. I figured that if the play were to go on with such a weak script, no one would take me seriously as writer; it would be too embarrassing. Simply canceling the play because I didn't like the script would be like admitting to everyone that I was a failure as a writer. That's when I decided to take more drastic steps. That way, when it got canceled I would be spared the embarrassment."

"But you had nothing to be embarrassed about!" Hajime countered. "Everyone in the club loved it, that's why we decided to perform it for the festival. The script was fine just the way it was, why couldn't you see that?"

"Because she lacked self-confidence," Takumi indicated. "She had so little faith in herself and her work that she failed to see how truly wonderful it really was. To add to that, she was under a great deal of stress, attempting to juggle several different tasks at once, all the while worrying about what other people might think. In short, she was scared. And as a result she chose to run away from her fears by sabotaging her own play."

"Oh, Kyoko-chan," Hajime said with disappointment.

"I'm so sorry!" Kyoko cried. "I just didn't know what to do anymore! But I never meant to hurt anyone, least of all you, Hajime-kun."

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," he assured her. "Right now I'm more worried about you. Despite all that's happened, I think you're the one who's been hurting the most."

Throwing his arms around her, Hajime proceeded to give Kyoko a hug of support.

"Hajime-kun."

"I should have stepped in sooner and said something," Hajime tearfully contended. "I saw the signs that essentially signaled a cry for help, yet all I could do was just sit by and helplessly watch while you attempted to do everything yourself. I'm sorry."

"Please don't blame yourself," Kyoko pleaded. "I have only myself to blame."

"Kyoko-chan."

"Listen everyone," Kyoko announced, "I know what I did was wrong and I don't blame anyone if they never forgive me, but I intend to do whatever it takes to atone for my actions. And the first thing that I know I must do is to step down as president of the drama club and let someone who is more deserving of it take over the position."

"That's a very noble gesture," Takumi observed.

Kyoko then looked over at Setsuna and humbly asked, "Setsuna, I know we've had our differences, but I didn't exactly treat you fairly and I'm truly sorry for that. I know it may be a lot to ask, but would you consider coming back and leading this club to greatness as only I know you can? I would be truly humbled if you did."

Setsuna marveled at the change of heart that had come over Kyoko, wiping a tear from her eye as she happily remarked, "Idiot, of course I'll come back. I never wanted to leave in the first place, but I became so frustrated that you didn't exactly give me much of a choice."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Kyoko regretfully replied. "I was just being selfish. But I promise you that I'll never act like that again."

"Just promise me that you'll slow down and take things a bit easier," Setsuna requested. "There's no need for you to try and do everything yourself, and there's no shame in asking your friends for help either. We're still your friends you know, don't forget that."

"Thank you," Kyoko appreciatively replied. "That means a lot to me."

"So what's going to happen with the play now?" Kohei worriedly asked.

"The play will go on as scheduled," Takumi announced. "I see no reason otherwise, especially now that this matter has been resolved."

"Ahem!" Rysuke tried getting their attention, afraid that he may have been forgotten.

"Oh, there's just one other thing," Takumi pointed out, "and that's regarding Ryusuke-san's band."

"Right," Kyoko suddenly recalled. "I'm sorry for the way that I've treated you, and honestly I have no problem with your band performing either before or after us. However, that's no longer my decision to make, but I think Setsuna will be more than happy to work something out with you."

"Absolutely," Setsuna concurred. "And I see no reason why your band couldn't perform immediately after us. How's that sound?"

"Hey, that's all I ever asked for," Ryusuke contentedly replied. "Thanks."

"Oh, there is just one little thing that I ask of you in return," Setsuna requested in a somewhat scheming overtone.

"And what might that be?"

"After your band performs you have to take me to Takumi-san's cooking club's quaint little café," Setsuna sensually insisted, batting her eyelashes at Ryusuke.

"It'd be my pleasure, little lady."

"Excellent, then it's a date…" Setsuna purposely let slip. "Uh, I mean, I'll see you then."

As everyone now began to disperse, Ryusuke approached Takumi with a big grin upon his face, appreciatively expressing, "I owe you big time, man. You managed to get our band's gig moved to the auditorium and you set me up with that cutie."

"Well, I didn't exactly have anything to do with that," Takumi modestly stated.

"Hey, if you ever need a favor or if someone ever messes with you, just remember that I've got your back."

"Uh, thanks. I appreciate that," Takumi gratefully replied as Akira just rolled her eyes, feeling a bit uneasy since she always considered herself Takumi's sole protector. "Um, Akira, isn't there something you have to say to Ryusuke-san?"

"Not really," Akira stubbornly replied.

"Akira!"

"Oh all right," she relented, then, with her head down she quietly confessed, "I'm… s… sorry that I accused you earlier."

"What was that?" Ryusuke playfully asked, holding a hand up to his ear. "I didn't quite catch that."

"I'm sorry, alright? Jeez!"

"Apology accepted. Now that wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Shut up."

"Ooo, touchy," Ryusuke commented. "So, Takumi-san, you're still gonna stick around after the play to hear us perform, right?"

"As much as I'd love to, I really need to get back and help my club run the café."

"Well isn't there somebody else who could…" Ryusuke thought as he then looked to Akira and demanded, "Hey, why don't you fill in for him?"

"Oh, ah, I really can't ask her to do that," Takumi reluctantly said.

"Why not? I think it's the least she could do after all the hard work you've done. You deserve to chill out and listen to us jam. So how about it, missy? Help the kid out."

"I don't need you telling me what to do!" Akira shot back, rather irritated at his demands. "It just so happens that I had every intention of helping him anyway, despite what you may think."

"Akira," Takumi was touched to hear. "You don't have to…"

"Yes… I do," Akira insisted, then timidly added, "I… I want to help."

Takumi then reminded her, "But you realize that you're going to have to wear…"

"I know, I know! You don't have to remind me," she awkwardly stated. "But really I… I don't mind."

"I don't get it, what's the big deal?" Ryusuke couldn't comprehend. "What does she have to wear?"

"Well you see, this is a maid café," Takumi pointed out.

"A maid café? Then that means…" Ryusuke suddenly realized, now looking to Akira with a sinister expression on his face. "Oh this I gotta see."

"Yeah well too bad you're not going to be able to see anything once I punch your lights out," Akira angrily expressed as she prepared to lunge at him.

"Akira!" Takumi scolded, attempting to hold her back.

"Whoa! I sure hope your waitressing skills are better than your social skills," Ryusuke joked, taking a step back to avoid her attack. "Well, I'll see you guys later. And thanks again, Takumi-san. Looking forward to your maid serving skills, Akira. Hahahahaha."

"The only thing I'll be serving," Akira called after him, "is your head on a…"

"Akira! Why must you antagonize him? Can't you two just get along?"

"Takumi, you know I love you," Akira emphasized, placing her hands upon his shoulders and looking him squarely in the eyes, "but don't ask me for the impossible."

"Right, silly me."

* * *

"Table five, order up!"

"Oolong tea for table two!"

The atmosphere was filled with the hustle and bustle of activity on the day of the festival, particularly at the cooking club's maid café. Its female members all decked out in very short-cut maid uniforms each consisting of a black one-piece dress with an above-the-knee skirt while underneath they each wore a white ruffled petticoat. Complimenting it all was a white apron along with the traditional maid's headpiece. Even though they had converted one of the school's largest classrooms for its use, the room was still packed with festival goers and had a line that extended down the hall. Takumi, having just returned from Ryusuke's concert, stood behind a podium by the classroom's entrance as he hurriedly tried to accommodate every available patron.

"Table for two? Right this way," Takumi guided his latest customers to an available table, then called to one of the waitresses. "Maho, please take special care of our guests."

"Of course. How can I serve you today, master?"

"Wow, you guys are really busy," Ryusuke's voice was heard saying. "Of course it's easy to see why."

"Ryusuke-san, Setsuna-san, glad you could make it," Takumi happily greeted the couple. "By the way, your band rocked."

"Thanks. Glad you liked it." Ryusuke replied as he then began scanning the café for a certain someone. "So ah, where's…"

"Akira? Oh she's around here somewhere."

"Mind if we sit at one of her tables?"

"Uh, sure, I think I can arrange that. Only promise me that you won't cause any trouble for her. I don't want any fights breaking out."

"Hey, I give you my word," Ryusuke assured him. "I'll be on my best behavior."

"And I'll see to it that he keeps his word," Setsuna guaranteed.

"Alright, follow me," Takumi instructed as he then seated them by a window. "Akira will be with you in a moment."

"Looking forward to it," Ryusuke anxiously stated.

Approaching their table, Akira's head was still face down in her order pad as she greeted, "Welcome to the maid café. How may I be of service to you today mas… oh, it's you," she suddenly realized when she looked up.

"Well, hello to you too," Ryusuke offered.

"Akira-san, you look positively adorable," Setsuna complimented.

"Uh, th… thank you."

"Yeah, that outfit actually brings out your best features," Ryusuke remarked.

Extremely flustered, Akira quickly tried to change the subject as she asked, "So what can I get for you two?"

"Oh, right," Ryusuke replied. "Just bring us two strawberry shortcakes and some tea."

"Very good. I'll have your order out in a minute."

"Oh come on, you can do better than that," Ryusuke asserted. "You'll have it out in a minute… what?"

Glancing over at Takumi momentarily, Akira remembered her promise to him before turning back to Ryusuke, smiled and happily restated, "I'll have your order out in a minute… master."

"That's more like it," Ryusuke was glad to hear as he too then observed Takumi busily helping other customers. Thinking for a moment, he then called back over to Akira, "Hey!"

"What is it now?" Akira turned back to ask, then corrected herself, "I mean, is there something else I can do for you, master?"

"You're pretty lucky, I hope you realize that," Ryusuke seriously stated as he motioned with his head over to Takumi. "He's pretty amazing, so you make sure that you take extra special care of him."

"I don't need you to tell me…" Akira stopped herself as she then smiled and calmly retorted, "I know, and I will."

"Well, looks like we finally agree on something," Ryusuke commented.

"Humph, well don't get used to it," Akira retorted with a sly grin on her face.

As she went to get their order, Akira hesitated momentarily and then walked over to Takumi.

"Hey, Akira, what's up? I hope you're not causing trouble for Ryusuke-san."

"No, I'm not. So how are you holding up?"

"Oh, just fine. It's a bit hectic but…"

Takumi was startled when he suddenly felt Akira's warm lips upon his cheek.

"Whe… where did that come from?" Takumi said in wonderment.

"Just needed to remind myself of how lucky I really am. Well, better get back to work."

Takumi was in a daze momentarily as he just stood and observed Akira from afar.

"Hey, Takumi-san!" Ryusuke called over to him. Then with a wink he added, "No fraternizing with the help."


End file.
